Friday, October 10, 2014

Self Abuse

Freedom.

Liberty.

Inalienable rights.

We Americans are big on these things, aren’t we?

We like to thump our fleshy chests and proclaim our superiority over other, lesser nations. Oh, well, sure, yes, you might have higher standards of living, longer average lifespans, lower infant mortality rates, a higher percentage of education, higher median income, universal healthcare, a functioning government, insignificant gun violence, a drastically lower percentage of incarceration, okay, sure, you’ve got those things, fine, but America has freeeeeeeeedom! And that makes us exceptional – not that any significant fraction of us can spell exceptionalism or find the United States on a map, but trust me, we’ve got you beat.

And you know why? Freedom, that’s why.

See, freedom in America is different from freedom elsewhere.

In America, freedom means rights without responsibility.

In America, freedom means the right to the most vile of hate speech without consequence or penalty.

In America, freedom means the right to publish provable falsehoods and gibbering panic and drooling conspiracy theories as fact for profit.

In America, freedom means the right to utterly ignore science and just substitute in whatever magic fairy dust you like regardless of the consequences to future generations.

In America, freedom means the right to violent religious extremism without restriction of any kind, tax free in fact.

In America, freedom means the right to beat the drums of war without having to go yourself, or send your children.

In America, freedom means the right to gather together under the guise of political assembly and openly plot to take away the freedoms and the liberty of those with different political beliefs, or religions, or skin colors, or sexual orientations.

In America, freedom means the right to profit hugely without taxation, to take without return, to destroy entire industries without a second thought, to pollute the environment without personal consequence, to grow wealthy beyond dreams while impoverishing millions of your fellows, to benefit enormously from the nation’s protection and prestige without having to give back in any way.

Why, here in America we are so free that we can openly engage in war against our own nation.

That’s right.

We can wallow in our sullen liberty like fat feral hogs in the mud while complaining bitterly that we don’t have enough.

In America, that’s what we call freedom.

Why, here in America, we can actually point guns at our own government and threaten to shoot down our neighbors, and we can do it free of any consequence … and others will inevitably rally to our cause in the name of liberty.

Here in America we can publicly declare war on our own nation, engage in open sedition and treason writ large, offer a reward for the capture and execution of our own democratically elected president, publicly promote the overthrow of the very Constitution which guarantees our freedoms, and loudly declare our intention for violent installation of a religious theocracy made of up of extremists who would execute and imprison any American who does not subscribe to this murderous lunacy.

We Americans put up with a lot of nonsense in the supposed name of liberty.

We put up with raging hate, blatant bigotry, threats of violence, obvious insanity, and foamy spittle-flecked ignorant stupidity - all because we're afraid that if we restrict those things in even the slightest way, if we hold the perpetrators to account to even the smallest degree, well then we won't know where to draw the line and then we'll end up under the jackboot of tyranny.

By way of example, meet the Christian Taliban of the Facebook Group Reward For Capture of Obama.

The group, founded by one Reverend Everest Wilhelmsen, is your standard issue howling mob of frothy Birthers, stubbornly clinging to their guns and bibles and thoroughly discredited conspiracy theories. More, Wilhelmsen is openly using social media to solicit donations for the overthrow of the government of the United States. The group openly, publicly, offers a reward for the “capture” and “arrest” of President Obama.

These people, led by Everest Wilhelmsen, have declared war on the United States.

For all practical purposes, Wilhelmsen is indistinguishable from the Ayatollahs who burned down their country’s legitimate government and set about arresting and executing those that didn’t agree with their particular murderous fanaticism.

If you want to know what America under the control of Evangelical Christianity will look like, you need look no further than Iran – change the names and the God, and the bloody intolerant rest remains the same.

This week, Wilhelmsen added a caveat to his group page, asking people not to post overtly racists comments – despite the fact that the entire page is a study in unhinged xenophobia writ large and designed specifically to pander directly to racists, bigots, haters, and fanatics.

A rather large number of people, including myself, have complained to Facebook about Reward for Capture Of Obama. I specifically reported the group for hate speech. Reward For Capture of Obama is not freedom of speech, it is abuse of the 1st Amendment and it is sedition. These people are not just talking, they are actively soliciting funds for the stated purpose of overthrowing the government. This group is hate for hate’s sake and nothing more – and I would point out that I would respond in exactly the same way if Wilhelmsen was calling for the capture and arrest of George W. Bush.

Facebook responded to my complaint via the boilerplate above.

“Reports like yours are an important part of making Facebook a safe and welcoming environment.”

A what now? A safe and welcoming environment, you say? Oh, so is that what Reward For Capture of Obama is? Safe and welcoming?

But a picture of a mother breastfeeding? That does, right? Facebook will take that down in a second and suspend your account. But proclaim your intention to overthrow the US government by force of arms and violent revolution and kill the president? And Facebook is good. Freedom, you know.

Facebook is so afraid of offending the religious right, and likely with good reason, that they will turn a blind eye to open sedition.

And that, right there, is the perfect metaphor for America.

We’re willing to put up with any degree of rage, hate, and insanity, up to and including allowing crazy people to buy guns and use them to shoot down our children in their own homes and theaters and schools, we will stand by and let raging madmen like Everest Wilhelmsen openly call for the destruction of our nation, just to prove we’ve got more freeeeeedom than everybody else.

In the name of freedom, we allow the racist haters of the KKK and the Neo-Nazis to march down the middle of our streets and terrorize our citizens.

In the name of liberty, we allow the insane fanatics of Westboro Baptist Church to scream their twisted hatred at the funerals of our loved ones and our fallen soldiers.

In the name of democracy we allow the ideologues and the political fanatics in Congress to deadlock our government, repeatedly bring our nation to a standstill, refuse to do their jobs, and threaten the entire world economy, all in the name of soundly debunked conspiracy theories and rabid unhinged yellow-eyed hate.

In the name of the Constitution, we allow the traitorous dishonorable scumbags of the Oath Keepers to march on the White House flying that goddamned Confederate Battle Flag, the very symbol of racism and the ensign of those who vigorously tried to destroy the United States, and we listen while they demand the president be dragged from the Oval Office and hung before a kangaroo court.

Within our own Capital Building, Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado, has openly admitted to sedition.

He not only admits it, he’s proud of it.

Lamborn, in his own words proudly revealed that he and his fellow Republicans are attempting to turn the US military against their own Commander in Chief,

“A lot of us are talking to the generals behind the scenes, saying, ‘Hey, if you disagree with the policy that the White House has given you, let’s have a resignation.’”

Think about that, really think about that.

You have a sitting US Congressman – along with “a lot of us” – actively encouraging mutiny within the ranks of our military.

Lamborn and those unnamed republicans he refers to are openly encouraging nothing less than the defection of senior officers during time of war.

Lamborn says he wants America’s generals to “go out in a blaze of glory.”

Lamborn specifically says he encouraged military officers to resign in protest of the orders from their civilian leadership. To quit instead of obeying the president as they are sworn to do – as I, a commissioned officer, swore to do. Do you, as Americans, understand what that means? Can you fully grasp the implications of Lamborn’s treason? In America, the elected civilian Executive commands the military for very, very good reasons, reasons fundamental to the very fabric of our nation.

Lamborn would turn the generals of America into the political wannabe emperor Generals of Rome – and he is either too goddamned stupid to realize what he’s saying or he is a traitor to everything this country stands for.

This is not, repeat not, the actions of the loyal opposition.

There is nothing loyal about it.

Lamborn is a traitor.

Should the generals actually follow his exhortations to abdicate their sworn duty, then Lamborn is giving aid and comfort to the enemy, he is deliberately providing the enemy a strategic advantage by dividing the American military against itself solely to profit his political party.

Congressman Lamborn is a fucking traitor. A seditious scumbag. A dishonorable conniving coward whose own sworn oath is worth about as much as the Republican Contract with America.

Lamborn is a traitor.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Lamborn’s own words, his own free admission, by definition, is sedition.

Naturally, when his mutinous remarks were made public, Lamborn did what all those of his pusillanimous ilk do when cornered, he claimed his treason was taken “out of context.”

And you’ll note he didn’t resign.

And that, right there, is the very epitome of these cowards.

They’ll rage and rant for others to give up their lives in the name of some cause, but they piss their pants at the thought of having to make good themselves. Every. Single. Time.

Lamborn is a traitor.

Lamborn is a coward.

Lamborn is an utter disgrace to the very institution he is sworn to uphold.

Folks, there is no context, none, in which Congressman Lamborn’s admission is not that of a coward, a traitor, and a seditious mutineer.

In any other nation, he would be jailed at the very least and tried for his seditious actions, in many places he would be dragged out back and he’d have a bullet put through his skull without a trial.

But in America? Well, open sedition from a sitting US Congressman in time of war, sowing discord and disloyalty in the ranks for political ideology? In America that’s what we call liberty.

Meanwhile, yet another of these “patriots,” former congressman Tom Tancredo, Republican from Colorado, called again for House Republicans to impeach the President.

Because, yeah, we just aren’t getting the part where Republicans hate Obama.

In an OpEd last weekend in (where else?) World Net Daily, Tancredo opined that the GOP should “call the White House’s bluff and proceed with impeachment.”

Republicans, those Great Americans* who claim to revere the Constitution as holy writ handed down by God Himself, eschew the actual requirements spelled out in that same document and instead define the criteria for impeachment as “anybody not a member of our ideology – and maybe even some of those too.”

The conservative definition of democracy is increasingly indistinguishable from the kind of “democracy” practiced in the old Soviet Union and nowadays in North Korea – i.e. you can vote for whoever you like, so long as it’s us. Quod erat demonstrandum.

Tancredo warns that if Republicans are afraid to impeach Obama, then “the war is already lost and we should all stock our ammunition shelves and join a militia.”

Like Wilhelmsen, like Lamborn, like far, far too many conservatives today, Tancredo believes that democracy is when if you don’t get your way, you just get to shoot down the people you don’t like and install your own government by forcing people to vote for your party, your candidate, the people you approve of. That’s the kind of America they think they want.

But you see, freedom doesn't come free of responsibility.

In the end, one way or the other, there is always an accounting.

It’s long past time we, as a nation, as a people, stopped tolerating this nonsense.

These lunatics need to be held accountable for their unending mindless hate, for their willful and contagious insanity, for their seditious attempts to turn this country into a xenophobic religious theocracy, and for abusing the rights our ancestors gave their very lives for.

I believe in freedom of speech as much as the next guy. I served my country for over twenty years in uniform, I fought her wars and defended her shores because I believe in that freedom along with all the others we Americans take for granted every day.

But I believe rights have limits.

I believe freedom comes with responsibility.

I believe we are a nation, a society, a civilization. We are not a howling mob.

These people are not patriots.

They are not the loyal opposition.

They are cowards and traitors and anarchists.

They are the barbarians at the gate, who would burn down civilization and shit gleefully in the ruins.

The Constitution may require the government to tolerate this cancer in our midst, but we, we rational and sane Americans, we do not have to put up with it.

And it’s long past time we start holding this madness to account.

And you can start doing exactly that come this November.

* The term “Great American” is used in this context in a manner identical to the term “Great Russian” in the old Soviet Union. And yes, I mean it to be exactly as insulting as it sounds. // Jim

"Lamborn would turn the generals of America into the political wannabe emperor Generals of Rome – and he is either too goddamned stupid to realize what he’s saying or he is a traitor to everything this country stands for."I, too, have said for almost 15 years now that 'those' people are traitors. Gla to see some others agree.

I'm here in Colorado with some of these crazies. And my friends and neighbors. And family...the kind of America they THINK they want is not a place I want to finish out my life in. There are times when this country makes me really angry and really sad, but never for the same reasons that the "patriots" have. You better believe I will be voting this November. There is much at stake. Thanks for reminding me on a regular basis that there is still rational thought in America.

Jim, I agree vehemently with you...He is voted in by like minds...his district includes military facilities...there is an "enclave" of these folks in the "Crazy Corner of Colorado"...not only do we have to deal with this on a Federal level, but in the Sheriff's office, County Commissioners, school boards...etc...The Koch brothers are a driving force behind these folks, and Doug is no slouch when gobbling up dark money...other than you and a couple of other blogs, Few people of consequence seems to have notice his sedition...Yet, I suppose, Ignorance is bliss...

Thank you. I will vote. Have my absentee ballot already.Freedom is NOT letting every person do exactly what he wants. It does as you so succinctly put it require a great deal of responsibility from each and every person. I'm scared of what is happening to our country and only hope we can stop it or at least slow it down. I am getting old and won't have many more years to have to endure this but I have grandchildren and I fear for them and for their children, if they ever have any.I'm thankful for people like you who bring this up and keep people aware of what we are facing.

The ideology behind this nation is strongly based on the Social Contract theory of John Locke. Jefferson openly said so and even used lightly paraphrased portions from it in the Declaration of Independence. SC theory does not expound a civil rights free-for-all: it explains that they benefits of society are achieved when everyone agrees to give up certain rights in exchange for those benefits. It should be required reading for all Americans and may help clear up the misconception that freedom as a nation is free. Not only have our soldiers died in it's name, but we all have a share in guaranteeing freedom for all by making small sacrifices.

My jaw literally dropped when I heard that little piece of news about Lamborn. It boggles my mind even more that he sits on the ARMED FORCES committee doesn't he? He should have been removed from that seat immediately, and an ethics investigation begun against him immediately. Instead we got about 36 hours of "outrage" from a few of the more awake media and now......?

Facebook seems to respond better when each and every posting is reported, not just the page. They use a few seconds to take a shallow look the the page being reported. If each posting is reported, FB is forced to see more of what is posted and are more apt to understand. Report each posting, comment, go to the poster's profile and take a look around, report their seditious and treasonous postings and images on their profiles.

It's a hell of a lot of work to do this, but it's the only way to get through to FB.

You can still see the admins and some of the members as well as using FB's search feature to see other members. Poke around the ones who haven't figured out how to use their privacy settings - they usually post idiotic things worthy of reporting.

Remember when G.W. Bush was in office? Anyone who so much as the rush to create the whole Department of Homeland Security or questioned the war in Iraq was branded a traitor. The Dixie Chicks said something about Bush and their records were banned from several radio stations. Since Obama has been in office (actually even before he was inaugurated) there has been a constant drumbeat of criticism and outright statements that he was somehow not really elected and is therefore not "really" the president.

Your are calling this correctly. Lamborn's statement is sedition, pure and simple.

Well written, Jim, and I agree with every word. Frightening shit, what's allowed to go on in this country. I have to wonder why the FBI isn't looking into these Jack-hole seditious groups like the one you outed on Facebook. Or maybe they are. Hopefully someone's keeping an eye out in case one of these nut-jobs actually decide to try something. And don't even get me started on the f-ed up standards that Facebook uses for determining what's considered acceptable. It's enough to make my head explode.

The Civil War of the mid 19th century is being refought as we speak. Southern Democrats have mutated into current-day Republicans. And the modern Democratic Party equates with the Party of Lincoln (1865 edition).

I found a provocative thought/article at a site called the weeklysift, the article was called "not-a-tea-party-a-confederate-party"

The article and others by that author are worth the read. They go into what happened after the Civil War ended. The author argued that while the North won the war, they lost the peace. I dunno if Jim will want this here, I'm not posting the actual link. I thought they were worth the reading.

Agreed Mr. Wright. There is so much frothing at the mouth these days. Civil discourse is becoming a dangerous and dying profession. The Constitution is such a wonderful guideline for compromise (it's very existence is compromise) but when intransigence is permanent the model breaks down. I will vote and thankfully gerrymandering has not reared its ugly head in my district - yet...

Thank you for calling these POS exactly what they are. It's sad to think that due to the crazies, things like this are allowed to continue, as the government doesn't want to be seen as being 'overpowering' or stifling the dissent of the administration's opponents. Yet they are more than an opposition. They won't stop until everything this President and his administration have done for the common citizen is destroyed. They won't stop until they can completely de-legitimize the President.

I agree that there are many things that I disagree with as far as President Obama and decisions he has made, but since his election, never have I seen such vitriol and hatred directed at one man. Hell, I can't even remember the Republicans and right wing being as insane with their comments during the Clinton years, and he was pretty hated by them.

I don't disagree with a thing, but the people I think should read this are not the kind of people who will read a long article. They should read it, but it's too long for them. I would edit it down for popular consumption because the topic is important and should be read by as many people as possible.

Yes, I have been aware of that asshole Lamborn for quite some time now living in CO but in a county that thankfully is a tad more progressive, although the home of Focus on The Family. I've heard of that fringe in Eastern Colorado and have steadfastly avoided contact with them. An awful lot of conservatives here, and it is so very important that we have more progressives in office and keep the ones already there, i.e. Senator and Governor.

I'm right here in the middle of Cory Gardner country in Eastern Colorado. This election is making me extremely nervous! You're right..we definitely need to keep the progressives we have now, but the polls are scaring the stuffing out of me. As does Focus on the Family. And Cory Gardner, Bob Beauprez, Doug Lamborn, Tom Tancredo...they're ALL scaring the stuffing out of me! I refuse to believe they honestly "represent" Coloradans.

Excellent and VERY pointed! Being voted out is not really enough, I hope that most of these rabid folks are put into their own closet and KEPT there now that more people hear their stupidity and hate. And what is with FB saying that page does not violate community standards???? WTF?

And typo - missing the 'h' in where: Because, yeah, we just aren’t getting the part were Republicans hate Obama.

I understand that Facebook enforces their Terms Of Service, but it is a little strange that their TOS allow for *more* than what the Constitution and/or Common & Criminal Law allows.Also, threaten to kill the president and nothing happens, but show a mother breastfeeding and the ban hammer gets swung hard.

The problem is that no one in the supposedly liberal press is willing to report on these stories with the kind of brutal honesty that you exhibit here Jim. The mainstream press is so petrified of stepping out of their comfortable "both sides are equally to blame for our problems" to report on what should be the biggest story in politics, the only story, the story about how one of our two political parties has descended into a pack of gibbering poo flinging fear monkey intent on destroying our democracy unless it bends to their will.

Came here to read from your post on FB. Relieved to read the comments... there is still some sanity out there. I cannot understand why these nut cases are allowed to spew their venom without getting a visit from the FBI?

The FBI? They don't seem to be doing much about those guys at the Bundy ranch (AKA: The Armed Center for Frothing Spittle-flecked Insanity Armory, with Guns) pointing weapons at federal officers, blocking public roads, threatening hotel staff for housing BLM personnel, riding ATVs armed through Recapture canyon, etc. I guess they aren't black guys or Hispanics, or Muslims, so - it's all good. "Oh, those boys will be boys!" I guess our national attention span is about equivalent to the span of a Simpsons couch gag.

Personally, I favor bringing back the anti-fascist media laws, fixing the campaign finance system, and letting these guys go back to screaming in dark corners. And, damnit, everyone, vote! Not only that, Donate and volunteer. Because you really don't want to find out what the Republicans will do if they hold both houses of Congress.

"In the name of democracy we allow the ideologues and the political fanatics …" has been the historical norm in the USA. The USA we grew up in was an aberration, unusually liberal. This goes back, I believe, to the original sin of the USA: slavery. Deadlock in the Congresses o the 1850s was not so very different from the deadlock in our current Congress. Our current radical right, when it can get away with it, acknowledges the slaveholders and their ideology as a source, and sometimes flies their battle flag.

I do think that extirpating this original sin from our systems of government is going to involve a great deal of effort on our part, effort which can only be made if the current deadlock is resolved against the reactionary faction. I do not know what will be necessary to do it. Once the first battle is won, we must continue to fight. The North won the Civil War. Yet the Republicans lost the post-war political fight to domestic terrorism, manipulated elections, and a hostile Supreme Court, which you may see has some parallels to our current situation. Things have been done in a different order, but many of the same tactics are being deployed.

Great post. Especially concerning the traitorous nature of "the loyal opposition". I also appreciate your trying to get facebook to recognize the danger posed by the group you reported. And yes, I am definitely voting, as I have every election since the first when i was 19 (and this one I will be 61).

Did note one typo....believe you mean "where" rather than "were" in the sentence below:

Because, yeah, we just aren’t getting the part were Republicans hate Obama.

Thanks, Shipmate. The world is definitely the better for your presence and your writing....

All the best,

Old Navy Comm O

PS This is my second attempt to preview and post...the first said it published before allowing me to edit.

Freedom cannot turn on itself. One cannot be free to take the freedom from another. I am not here to fulfill everyone else's expectations on how I should live my life - so long as I do no harm to others.

Whenever I see the bumper sticker, or hear someone say, Freedom Isn't Free!, I wish I could ask the person, So what has it cost you? Because, for most of them it's, 'Not a damn thing!' Though they would never say so.

Bravo, Jim. I want to know why this asshat hasn't been arrested for seditious & treasonous acts. Had he been a democrat, my guess he'd already been thrown in jail. Are we, as a nation of laws no longer willing to enforce them???

Resistance to the Kenyan marxist atheist homosexual Ebola importing muslim brotherhood blame america first usurper is the epitome of patriotism... And if anyone here thinks that conservatives really dont believe all the shit spewed forth from Fauc news and reguritated in the RightWing Internet bubble you are foolong yourself.

Great article, but I have one point of disagreement: As awful as that theocratic government currently sitting in Tehran is, they are rather more the legitimate government of that country than the regime they replaced. Back in the fifties (IIRC), Iran had a very modern constitutional representative government, but that government made the mistake of demanding self-determination in managing its petroleum reserves and the income accruing therefrom. So the US and the UK overthrew that government and replaced it with the brutally repressive monarchy of the Shah and his Savak secret police. What Iranians had to endure at the hands of the Shah's regime is why their modern-day theocrats persist in referring to the USA as "The Great Satan".

I'm sorry, I woke up with a bit of a headache this morning and forgot to include the second part of my comment. We all know that the USA is a nation that tilts to the right in a pretty major way, and never more so than in the last thirty years. That's why I'm convinced that if a bunch of red-flag-waving radical leftists were as numerously and prominently doing and promoting the same sort of thing that these reactards were doing and promoting, the Secret Service, the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA would be all over them like ants on a sweetroll dropped onto the ground. Just look at the way the aborted "Occupy" movement was treated by the civil authorities if there's any doubt in your mind about what I'm saying!

Your mention of the " Reward for capture of Obama" website gives me an idea. We should all start our own versions of that. Think about it - we could all fund our collective retirements, while at the same time diverting funds away from the crazies' plans! Paypal as radical social activism!

Magnificent piece of writing! I am in total agreement. Lamborn is a traitor, and needs to be recognized as such. I am weary of well-meaning pedants who insist on schooling us on definitions of treason vs. sedition. What the man did was nothing less than incite an illegal takeover of the US government via military coup. Everyone in the country needs to be aware of this fact. Thank you.

Jim, I am beginning with the seditious, mutinous comments made by Republican Congressman from Colorado, Doug Lamborn, so that I may reply directly to your two closing sentences,“And it’s long past time we start holding this madness to account.“And you can start doing exactly that come this November” (Freedom. Liberty. Inalienable rights, Oct. 10, 2014, Facebook).I take it that you are referring to the Nov. 2014 Mid-Term Elections. I do not live in Representative Lamborn’s District. The vast majority of American voters cannot vote in Representative Lambor’s District. Consequently, voting cannot “start holding this madness to account.”Please correct me if I’m wrong; but isn’t it the job of the FBI and the Attorney General to hold such traitorous madness to account? Those in the FBI, the Attorney General and all those who work in the Office of the Attorney General, have taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Thus, the questions: What the fuck is the FBI doing? What the fuck is the Office of the Attorney General doing? Furthermore, voters really have no authority to “hold to account” the other traitorous, seditious, racist, xenophobic, bigoted individuals and groups you have mentioned.Once again, the questions: Do not these individual and groups fall under the jurisdiction, the purview, of the FBI and the Office of the Attorney General? So: What the fuck is the FBI doing? What the fuck is the Office of the Attorney General doing?So the next question is: What can “we rational and sane Americans” do to inspire the FBI and the Office of the Attorney General to abide by the Oath they have taken and begin the process of holding these domestic “cowards and traitors and anarchists” to account?Ger

Maybe if enough people report them something will be done. Like I said earlier, maybe the FBI is already looking into them. Maybe they find it very handy to have them all listed in one place. I really hope the members of this seditious hate group read this article and think twice about what it is they are actually doing, which is treason, plain and simple.

My only point of disagreement is that I believe the United States ranks behind almost all the European nations, and Australia, in infant mortality. Otherwise, you're spot on as usual--thank you.

What I would have asked last year is why hasn't the Secret Service dealt with this? Sadly, I now realize that they're over-stretched and under-managed, not to mention under-funded. While President Obama was never my choice as a leader, this sort of corrosive public discourse is both infuriating and frightening.

NikNak: Ger, here. Thanks for the FBI “Tip” URL. But I think it will take more than a few people tipping off the FBI to Representative Lamborn’s traitorous comments and actions to get them to move on this bloody jerk, as well as the other cowards, traitors, and anarchists Jim mentioned in his blog.I was actually hoping that Jim, since he already has a popular blog and a loyal following, would have replied to my questions. Jim is definitely in a position to get a considerable number of “balls” moving in the same direction. I would be more than pleased to be one of those “balls” with the “balls” to begin taking on these fucking traitors. Even when I ran reconnaissance missions in what was northern South Vietnam and the DMZ for MAC SOG (Military Advisory Command-Special Operations Group), I ran from a base of operations (Tactical Operations Center {TOC) and with a team that was one of many teams performing similar simultaneous missions.I hope Jim will read this and help us take this to the next level.All the best, Ger.

Forget about the morons that are sent to Washington. They are clearly guilty of sedition as I understand it, but what does this say about the people who send him to Washington? In addition this seat has gone to a Republican since its inception. Several votes as Lamborn sits on the Veteran Affairs Committee.

There is one other nation that tolerates sedition in government. I know because I saw it happen during the last Quebecois referendum. One MP, from Quebec, sent out a letter to all the soldiers and sailors who had French names asking them to do what your congressmen did.

Never a good thing, no matter where it happens.

A good read. Thanks for writing.

I stopped using Facebook, and mostly post anonymously, because I didn't like their policies. You've given me another reason never to log into their system again.

I love the way you articulate what so many of us feel. These are frightening times. The hatred of the president started when he was elected, and has grown to the point of insanity.

I will be voting to stop this movement of hate and fear mongering, and I'm urging everyone I know to "vote like your life depends on it--because it DOES!"

I'm so sick of their obstructionism, and their willingness to destroy this country because their candidate lost. Impeach Obama? On what grounds? They can lie all they want to, but the real charge they'd level against him is "Being President while Black".

Outstanding!! Especially the canard of rights without responsibilities, a notion I have been debunking for years. Thank you for nailing down exactly what is wrong with the status quo we so abjectly tolerate. Thank you for your righteous anger at the traitors and seditionists (as I refer to them on FB and other media) who not only dare to solicit the ignorant and gullible to their warped view of the the world, but can do so unashamedly because there is no one to enforce the law. As my old mentor said, you throw a bucket of slop against the wall and some of it will stick. The corporatocracy and the plutocrats who hold the reigns, the haters and religious fanatics, the spineless and debased politicians we elect may seem to have the upper hand, but We the People may yet be a force to be reckoned with.

I too received the same lame-ass response from the nitwits at Facebook. I am perplexed at how that group isn't considered hate speech or a credible threat of violence.I can only hope that the FBI and the Secret Service have them under surveillance. I am definitely troubled and disappointed by the lack of action though.

Jim, I would just like to say what a breath of fresh air it is to be able to read the comments section without cringing. There are precious few places on the internet where that holds true. Thank you for moderating to make this a troll free zone.

I note that this article has been reprinted here:http://aattp.org/a-retired-navy-officer-rips-tea-party-terrorist-behind-reward-for-capture-of-obama-facebook-page/If that was not your intention, Jim, you may wish to contact them about removal.

Jim - Thank you for wading into the slimy drifts of mouth breathing, drooling, gap toothed, short bus, racist, xenophobic, inbred, single digit IQ, real American Patriot manure...so we don't have to. But then, I always tend to sugarcoat things so as not to hurt the feelings of the mush brained.

The most comical aspect about the seditious, screeching shit-stained fear mongers is that there is no evidence in real life of the things and events that they claim we must fight and be afraid of. No black helicopters or black panthers or black Muslims or black men raping our sisters or brothers due to the black guy in the White House. All these imagined threats exist on Faux News (hawt chicks with short skirts - NICE!), AM talk radio and Nazi/GOP/Righty web content.

Obama may not have accomplished a lot of things he (or we) wanted. But, despite the fucking GOP obstruction and 24/7 Obama Derangement Syndrome, his administration has actually forced some good past the sewer of GOP and Rightie hate. Note the following links:

One could hope that fuckwads like Tancredo, Wilhelmsen, Lamborn and associated scum all expire from a targeted mass explosive aneurysm. But alas, Scanners was only a movie (sigh). So, we are forced to take matters into our own hands and turn off the TV or radio vomit, and go take a walk on the surprisingly terror free streets of the real America. - Vote American, Tommy D

Hi Jim, I suspect you won't get many Brit commenters here, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy and agree with your writing - I first came across the 'John Boehner's Monster' article. I am constantly amazed, amused and appalled by the degree of crazy in your media and politics that allows the kind of swivel-eyed lunacy that you've repeatedly nailed, particularly surrounding Pres. Obama.

We have the odd right-wing loony over here, though we managed to off-load phony 'Lord' Monckton to you guys and we do have UKIP of course! But we certainly don't have the likes of Faux News, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Lindsey Graham, Louis Gohmert, Michelle Bachmann, et al, who seek to frighten, mislead and misinform the public, and actively campaign to put in place their Dominionist theocracy. I find it frightening to be honest. The seditious comments of Lamborn et al need to be tackled by the authorities; even Ted Nugent was visited by the Secret Service when he threatened the POTUS.

Keep up the good work and I hope the GOP get slaughtered in the mid-terms.

Enjoyed your article very much. And one of the slants I and my friends discussed is that of the lack of education in America. The relationship between that and the resulting lack of interest in seeking out, finding and keeping up with what goes on in government at ALL levels is astounding. The U.S. may claim to be highly educated and it may be in certain areas but a large segment of our society is not.

What scares me is that this isn't the first "mutiny" story. There was one making the rounds when Benghazi first hit about what was or wasn't ordered. From what I can tell from the media, (a fair sampling of left and right) there appears to be a tiny but significant number of senior officers who are ideologically opposed to the Obama administration. Is this actually a thing? Or is it blown out of proportion?

I can't even imagine how insulted those generals must have been. Every person I know who has served would have been insulted by such a suggestion. It's hard for me to verbalize, but ... I can't imagine a more insulting thing a Congressman sitting on the Armed Forces Committee could say. It's just so obvious how little he understands the Forces he oversees on that Committee.

Jim, thank you for saying all the stuff I'd like to say and raising the questions I'd love to raise. Where does free speech end and sedition—prosecutable sedition—begin?

Anyone who believes the nonsense that Mr. Obama is a dictator who is threatening their free speech should note that even these open threats (which are surely grounds for calling up the militia) are allowed to pass.

Your (the country's, not Jim's) problem is that your constitution isn't very well written. It may be perfectly OK for the 18th century, but it lacks for the 21st, and it is such a sacred cow that it is impossible to change.

Congress shall make no law [establishing religion]... or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...

Define abridging freedom of speech.

Is a US citizen allowed to say "Colin Powell is a dirty Nigger"? Howabout "Niggers should be slaves, and fuck the kikes."? What about about a sign "No Niggas in this shop."? Any legislation that stop racial discrimination is abridging freedom of speech (various rulings establishing that freedom of speech equates to freedom of non language expression) .

From the wording of the 1st, the FCC has no power over what is broadcast on TV- if some redneck wanted to spew hate filled racist crap, to stop him would abridge his freedom of speech.

Now I know that the US isn't that lunatic- there are controls, but technically they all seem to breach the 1st.

This leads to a problem - You don't know what free speech actually is. You accept, actually, yes, it does have limits, it is abridged, for the public good. I am right in saying that my earlier comments are illegal? I'm sure a majority of Americans believe such limits are right are proper (sadly we must face it, there are a number of 'dogwhistle' comments made in the leadership of the Right that show there are some who don't). How do you square 'Don't abridge my freedoms' with 'some things are unacceptable'.

One US Liberal blogger argued that videoing illegal things is covered by the 1st. There was a case against a dog-fighting ring. The perpetrators were jailed, but the judge threw out the case against the distribution of tapes of the fights, as that was deemed to be covered by the 1st Amendment. It was also argued that banning such taping would hinder law enforcement - they wouldn't be able to tape such activities.

This essay, Jim, is the first time I have seen the two side reconciled. Not perfectly - you come down on saying the 1st has limits- but I doubt there is a perfect reconciliation.

Rights have responsibilities. Not the Right wing "Buy a gun because I shouldn't have to protect you kind".If you insist each stands alone then you are denying nationhood and citizenship. No - if you what the rights of citizenship, you must understand that there are limits, because your rights do not over-ride your neighbour's. The collective making decisions you don't like isn't tyranny. Calling for overthrow of the group in the interests of a minority is.

Comments on this blog are moderated. Each will be reviewed before being allowed to post. This may take a while. I don't allow personal attacks, trolling, or obnoxious stupidity. If you post anonymously and hide behind an IP blocker, I'm a lot more likely to consider you a troll. Be sure to read the commenting rulesbefore you start typing. Really.

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Jim Wright is a retired US Navy Chief Warrant Officer and freelance writer. He lived longer in Alaska than anywhere else and misses it terribly. He recently moved to the fetid Panhandle of Florida and lives now in an ancient Cold War bunker of a house surrounded by alligators and rednecks. He's been called the Tool of Satan, but he prefers to think of himself as the Devil's Designated Driver. He is the mind behind Stonekettle Station. You can email him at jim@stonekettle.com. You can follow him on Twitter @stonekettle, or you can join the boisterous bunch he hosts on Facebook at Facebook/Stonekettle. Remember to bring brownies and mind the white cat, he bites. Hard.

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